


As long as you're with me, you'll be fine

by thunderingskies



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Becoming Friends Again, Biker Iwaizumi, Developing Relationship, Eventual Smut, First Love, First Time, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, High School, M/M, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2018-10-17 11:55:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10593504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderingskies/pseuds/thunderingskies
Summary: Oikawa's never forgotten those long nights he spent with Iwaizumi as a kid, tossing around a volleyball or playing in the dirt. He hasn't forgotten, even though they're not friends anymore - even though he moved in one direction and Iwaizumi in another, the end of their friendship painful.He's not sure what to expect when Iwaizumi shows back up in his life again, but he is sure that he's not willing to let things end the same way again.





	1. Breathe

Everything’s closing in.

Tooru inhales, shakily, gripping his own arms tightly as he hugs himself and tries to bring back some sort of sensation to his body. He squeezes his eyes shut, fingernails digging into his skin.

He feels so, so  _ alone. _ Everything is just so vast. His thoughts bleed away into nothingness, broken and bleeding and he’s drowning, it hurts, it  _ hurts- _

“Hey, Oikawa?” 

A hand on his arm feels like fire on ice and Tooru all but pulls himself away from the burning sensation, shivering as he recoils and tries to focus in on what’s happening.

“Hey, hey. Just take a breath, okay? I’m gonna count, and you follow my breathing. Okay?”

Tooru nods, somehow, although he isn’t sure really how he does it. The hand grips his arm again, but this time Tooru doesn’t recoil. He lets the grip hold on to him, tether him down, and he focuses on it.

“One, two, three… Yeah, that’s right. That’s good. Keep going.”

Tooru nods, once, weakly, and tries to focus. It all hurts - even just breathing makes his chest  _ heave _ \- but he does it. 

“Good, that’s good. Twenty-nine, thirty…”

The tremors subside, and Tooru starts to loosen his grip on his arms, a tiny burning sensation where each of his nails has broken the skin.

“Fifty-two… fifty-three… fifty-four…”

Tooru inhales and exhales more clearly, focusing on nothing other than the voice now. He lets it surround him, make its way into every crack and crevice until he’s starting to not feel so broken anymore.

“Seventy… Seventy-one… Seventy-two…”

He swallows, and when he’s coherent enough to think, questions swirl in his mind.  _ How long has it been since he’s slept properly? Eaten?  _ His throat feels dry, and his stomach is in knots. Finally,  _ finally, _ he works himself up to opening his eyes. 

The sight he’s met with has him even more confused.

“...Iwa-chan?” 

His voice is far weaker than he’d like it to be, and he clears his throat in an attempt to fix that, but the answer to his question is clear as day.

It’s definitely Iwaizumi… not the Hajime of Tooru’s childhood, but Iwaizumi, with his pierced eyebrow and heavy gaze, smears of grease on the thighs of his jeans from working on his car.

Iwaizumi is sitting next to him, a hand on his arm, looking at him with concern, like they’re still  _ friends _ .

Only, they’re not.

Still, though, he looks away, and then back at Tooru, expression pensive. He jerks his head towards the school parking lot. Tooru follows to where he’s looking, at that old car Iwaizumi spent years working on with his dad.

Only now, it’s polished perfectly, and Iwaizumi pulls the keys from the pocket of his leather jacket.

“Wanna get out of here?”

They’re _ not _ friends. They’ve hardly looked at each other over the past three years, let alone  _ spoken. _ Nothing since they drifted into separate groups, and Iwaizumi chose them over his friendship with Tooru-

So Tooru’s surprised when he doesn’t hesitate to answer.

“Yeah.” He rubs his face with the back of his hand, getting rid of those few stubborn tears. “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look it's another AU I probably shouldn't be starting but I am anyway because I have no self control and an irrational love for IwaOi
> 
> Just a note, other chapters will be much longer. This chapter was posted as sort of a teaser to see if anyone was interested in the AU.
> 
> Thank you French & Manicpation for helping me work out scenes in this au, and thank you to Cel for sending me this song and helping me with the title ♥ You all encourage me and I'm so grateful ~~even though I keep starting new AUs even though I shouldn't~~
> 
> Come talk to me on [tumblr](http://josai.tumblr.com/)!


	2. Drive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cool, fresh air streaming in from the open car window helps to wake up Tooru’s senses, helps him to shake the haze hanging overhead.
> 
> It’s often like this, after a panic attack. Everything is just… hard, for a little bit, as he tries to bring himself back to reality, calm his nerves. He takes a few deep breaths, just focusing on what’s around him.

The cool, fresh air streaming in from the open car window helps to wake up Tooru’s senses, helps him to shake the haze hanging overhead.

It’s often like this, after a panic attack. Everything is just… hard, for a little bit, as he tries to bring himself back to reality, calm his nerves. He takes a few deep breaths, just focusing on what’s around him.

The car hums along, the sound of engine a comforting background noise. Tooru knows this car; this is the Mustang that sat in Iwaizumi’s father’s garage throughout much of their childhood, a project that Iwaizumi was always excited about working on. It’s running like a dream now - a true testament to Iwaizumi’s skills, and his determination in working on it. Even the coat of red paint looks new, the car glinting under the sunlight.

The radio’s on, too - Tooru doesn’t know the song that’s playing. It doesn’t sound like anything new, some soft rock, maybe. There’s nobody talking, no radio host, so it must be Iwaizumi’s playlist. 

Speaking of Iwaizumi… Tooru has to glance over at the driver’s seat out the corner of his eye - and, yeah. It’s him. Iwaizumi. He’s watching the road, hands on the steering wheel, posture relaxed.

Tooru’s stomach twists; why is he being so nice to him?

He glances down at the car radio, the time really registering. It’s still early in the afternoon. He’s supposed to be in  _ class. _

“Oh.” Tooru blinks, sitting up a little straighter. “I’m skipping class right now.”

That breaks the tense atmosphere - Iwaizumi laughs, loud and full-bodied. “Well, yeah. You’ve never done that before?”

Tooru shakes his head. He really hasn’t - he goes to class religiously, unless he’s too sick to get out of bed at all. Even then, he’s annoyed when he has to miss. 

It probably should be weird, then, that he doesn’t feel bad at all for skipping on purpose.

“Are you hungry?” Iwaizumi asks, turning on his signals and turning down a quieter street. “Did you eat lunch?”

Ah,  _ lunch. _ Tooru shakes his head - he’d worked through it, and honestly forgot. That probably hadn’t helped him. “Yeah… I am.” He pauses, realizing his entire backpack is back at school in his locker,  _ shit- _ “But my wallet is back at school, so it’s okay-”

“It’s fine, I’ll buy,” Iwaizumi says, turning into a fast-food drive-thru, completely ignoring Tooru’s protests. Tooru finally quiets down when he drives through, ordering a couple of burgers for them, and some drinks.

“Thanks,” Tooru says, a little meekly, accepting his drink and a bag of food once they’ve paid and been given the order.

“No problem.” Iwaizumi shrugs, “I know somewhere we can stop to eat.”

Tooru nods, a little weakly, taking a sip of his drink, realizing how dehydrated he is. How did he let himself get into this situation in the first place?

Iwaizumi makes no further commentary - and the quiet is nice, actually, the music from the radio keeping things from getting _ too _ quiet - driving a couple of roads down. It takes Tooru a little longer than it should to realize where they’re going-

“Here?” Tooru asks, looking to Iwaizumi as he turns into a parking lot… The parking lot next to a park that they used to play in  _ all the time _ as kids.

The park where Hajime convinced Tooru to help him with his bug collection and they spent morning, day and night scouring the trees for beetles to collect. The park where Tooru first started throwing around a volleyball with Hajime, where they promised they’d be friends forever, no matter what happened.

_ Yeah, right. _

The memory feels bittersweet.

“Yeah,” Iwaizumi replies, choosing a spot in the empty lot, stopping and putting his car in park. “It’s more run down now than when we were kids… I doubt anyone will come by.” Iwaizumi takes the bag of food, opening it up and passing Tooru a cheeseburger, taking one for himself and leaving the bag of fries between them to snack on as they want.

Then they just… sit.

Tooru takes a few bites of his burger, which disappears all too quickly. He finishes up his fries, and some of Iwaizumi’s, probably - but if he cares, he doesn’t show it. He lets Tooru sit and calm himself, turning the music up just enough to drown out Tooru’s thoughts.

With some food in his stomach and quiet, Tooru breathes a little bit easier. They keep the windows down, and the fresh air is exactly what he needs. Especially with the smell of grass and leaves wafting in, a smell that’s so nostalgic. It actually feels good, despite all of this.

He wants to talk, but words are… hard. Tooru wracks his brain for a safe topic, something they can talk about that will be easy, and then the song changes on the radio.

_ Ah. Perfect. _

“Your taste in music is a little different now,” Tooru starts, gesturing towards the radio. “It’s nice, though… Suits you. What are we listening to?”

Iwaizumi looks over, perking up a little. “You like it? Yeah, it’s kind of a weird mix, I guess. Some old stuff with a few new tracks mixed in.” He laughs, “I am happy to tell you that I definitely moved on from my kids pop phase. Have you?”

Tooru sputters, “Of course I have, Iwa-chan!” he chuckles, covering his mouth with a hand, looking up to see Iwaizumi looking back at him curiously.

“Iwa-chan?” Iwaizumi repeats, sounding unsure.

Tooru hesitates before answering. “Yeah… Is that okay?” he asks, hoping he hasn’t gone too far.

Iwaizumi’s laugh sets his mind at ease. “Sure,  _ Oikawa _ ,” he says, voice pitching high in a  _ clear _ attempt at imitating how Tooru used to sound as a kid.

“I don’t talk like that anymore!” Tooru laughs, tension easing from his shoulders. “So mean, Iwa-chan!”

It’s nice to see that some things don’t change.

Iwaizumi snorts, and Tooru lets out a breath that he didn’t realize that he was holding. The tension broken, he feels like he can talk a little more freely.

“...Thanks,” Tooru starts, looking down at his hands. “For helping me. I don’t get those often anymore, but… this one came on pretty hard.” He hates that this still happens. He’s seventeen now, it had been months since he’d had one, and even then nothing like the one today - why isn’t he strong enough to  _ deal _ with it-

“It’s no problem,” Iwaizumi responds gruffly, taking a few of the last french fries from the bag. “I was outside anyway, it was just lucky that I happened to see you.”

“Shouldn’t you have been in class?” Tooru asks, grinning.

Iwaizumi shrugs. “Went out for a smoke.” Tooru makes a face at that, which Iwaizumi laughs at. “So no smoking around you?”

“I don’t care.” Tooru shrugs, finishing off the last of his drink. He catches a look at his reflection in the side mirror; he has colour in his face again, which is good. “I don’t mind it.”

With a nod, Iwaizumi pulls out a pack of smokes, lighting one up. He takes a long drag, tilting his head and blowing the smoke out his unrolled window. Tooru watches, a little interested, leaning his chin on his hand, balancing on the window next to him.

“How has your family been?” Iwaizumi asks, taking another drag from his cigarette, looking over at Tooru.

“Oh, they’ve been pretty good,” Tooru tells him, “Takeru’s six now. We celebrated his birthday just two weeks ago.”

Iwaizumi coughs on his next drag, “Six already?! It feels like just yesterday he was a baby!”

“I know, right?” Tooru laughs, “He always wants to run around and do everything that we’re doing, too. It’s cute, but he gets into so much trouble.”

“So just like you did, then?” Iwaizumi grins, turning to face Tooru, who sputters.

“Yes, well,  _ you helped _ a lot in that, Iwa-chan!” Tooru huffs.

“True, true - you had your fair share of bad ideas too, though. Remember when you were sure you saw that UFO-”

“-Yes!” Tooru interrupts, “Yes, we promised we wouldn’t talk about that anymore, didn’t we?”

Iwaizumi laughs, nodding. “Right, right, okay, fine. I remember.”

Tooru chuckles, and just like that, they fall back into it. The talking, the laughter; talking about old times, new times. Tooru’s new house, the bike that Iwaizumi is working on with his father. Tooru’s often wondered how he’s doing... Now he knows, and gets to ask everything that he wants to.

The time bleeds away faster than he would like, but it always seems to work that way.

“Shit,” Tooru mumbles, looking down at his phone. “I gotta get going… my parents are gonna be pissed if I’m not home for dinner.” He sighs, not  _ wanting _ to leave - but he’s been here hours anyway, Iwaizumi probably wants to get going.

“I’ll bring you home,” Iwaizumi says, starting up the car and driving back down the familiar route. 

Tooru has him stop at the far end of the street to drop him off. He’s still processing all of this and really doesn’t want to have to explain to his parents why he’s being dropped off in some stranger’s car. Once the car is in park, his fingers dance around the door handle, hesitating at least six times before finally pushing it open.

“Thanks for today, Iwa-chan,” he says, looking over and meeting Iwaizumi’s gaze with a smile. Iwaizumi smiles back at him; soft and open, despite his rough appearance, despite it  _ all. _ Oikawa steps out of the car, but Iwaizumi slips a piece of paper in his back pocket as he stands up. 

“Text me if you wanna talk more.” Iwaizumi throws him that smile again, putting his car in drive and speeding away down the street.

Tooru hesitates a moment before pulling the paper from the pocket of his jeans. He unfolds it - it’s the receipt from their meal, but on the back Iwaizumi’s scrawled his phone number in red pen.

A huge smile brightens his face as he starts to walk back home, fingers twitching in anticipation.

* * *

Tooru spends the rest of his evening staring down at the new contact in his cell phone.

After dinner, he usually lies around in bed, works on homework, studies. Reads, sometimes. But today he just can’t focus - his fingers dance around the keyboard on his phone, wanting to send him a message, but not knowing  _ how _ .

What to say?

He sighs, picking up his calculus textbook, since most of his notes are back at school in his locker where he’d left them. Everything just blurs together; he can’t focus at all.

He drops it down on his face, sighing loudly. This isn’t working.

It’s not too late, but Tooru gets himself ready for bed anyway. A quick shower, some fresh pajamas. He brushes his teeth, and snuggles up in bed, sighing happily when he’s warm and cozy and comfortable.

It… doesn’t seem as hard, now, to open up his phone again, and start a new conversation.

**_To:_ ** _ Iwa-chan _

_ You ready for bed, Iwa-chan? _

Immediately after sending it Tooru throws his phone to the other side of the bed, burying his head under his pillow. What if he  _ doesn’t answer- _

Then his phone pings. Slowly, he sits himself up to fish it back from the foot of his bed, tapping it on and scanning his fingerprint.

**_From:_ ** _ Iwa-chan _

_ Soon. Just finished some more work on my bike. [Attached Image] _

Tooru grins.

They end up talking until he falls asleep, relaxed and happy.

 

* * *

The relaxation only lasts until Tooru wakes up and realizes he’s going to have to  _ see _ Iwaizumi today at school.

They don’t have any classes together and virtually no mutual friends, but the campus isn’t all that big. He knows they’re going to run into each other at lunch, or after school, or between classes, and Tooru is  _ nervous. _

The memory of when their friendship ended last still feels raw. Iwaizumi rejecting him, shunning him in  _ public _ -

He  _ can’t _ do that again.

He tries to calm himself down by spending a little extra time doing his hair in the morning, and it sort of works. But he still spends the day pointedly avoiding anywhere he knows Iwaizumi might be hanging out with his friends, and refuses to go anywhere by himself. He’s being childish and he knows it, but, well. He’s scared.

Thankfully, his friends don’t seem to mind going through the day with him. Yes, Tetsurou pokes fun of him a little in the morning, during their calculus and functions class, but he still walks with him to his next class where he can switch off with Keiji, who he shares afternoon classes with. Tooru’s happy that Keiji is so damn smart; he’s a year younger, but in his grade after skipping a year, and Keiji won’t question why he wants the company. He’ll probably figure it out on his own anyway. Tooru just isn’t ready to talk about it yet. 

Classes go by easily, and Tooru feels a little silly for worrying so much. He doesn’t even see Iwaizumi  _ once _ throughout the day.

But of course, as soon as he lets his guard down is when it happens unexpectedly.

They’re walking out of the school, talking about the feature of their lecture from today - Tooru loves chemistry, finds it fascinating, and they often go back and forth about what their teacher has taught that day - and when he looks up, Iwaizumi is there.

All of four feet in front of him.

_ Shit. _

Iwaizumi’s standing on the sidewalk just outside of school, mid-conversation with a friend of his. Tooru doesn’t know who he is - he’s a bit taller than Iwaizumi, bright pink hair that you could spot  _ anywhere _ , pierced lip. He’s laughing, but as soon as Iwaizumi turns to look at Tooru, his friend moves his attention to him, too.

Tooru freezes up; Keiji stops next to him, looking at him curiously.

_ Right. _ He should probably talk. “Um, hi, Iwa-ch-Iwaizumi,” Tooru says, correcting himself at the last minute. It’s one thing to call him that when they’re alone, in his car, reminiscing about the past; but at school?

If Iwaizumi notices, he doesn’t comment on it. “Hey, Oikawa. Do you need a ride home?”

All of the stress bubbling up inside Tooru deflates at the greeting. He’d been worried Iwaizumi might just walk away, ignore him, or say no- but… he doesn’t.  _ Oh. _

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Tooru answers, turning to Keiji to say goodbye. Keiji’s expression says it all -  _ text me everything as soon as possible. _ Tooru nods in promise.

“Oh, and this is Hanamaki,” Iwaizumi says, pointing at his friend. “See you later, man.”

“Nice to finally meet you, Oikawa,” Hanamaki says, grinning like he knows something Tooru doesn’t. “Later!” He gives a wave and turns to leave, leaving the two of them alone. 

Again.

Apparently, that’s not the only surprise Tooru is in for today.

“Iwa-chan!” Tooru cries, all earlier nervousness melted away as he sees where Iwaizumi is leading him. He was expecting the Mustang - but this, this is  _ so much _ better. “You didn’t tell me your bike was finished!”

Iwaizumi grins a little cheekily, “I thought it’d be a nice surprise.” He grabs one of the two helmets secured to the back, passing it to Tooru, and putting on his own.

Tooru hesitates. “Oh, uh, I actually have a lot of homework-”

“We won’t be out late,” Iwaizumi assures him, “And besides, you look like you could use a break.”

Despite all the time that’s passed, Iwaizumi can still read him so incredibly well. Tooru nods, putting on his helmet and hopping on the back of the bike. Iwaizumi sits in front of him, encouraging him to hold on. Tooru gingerly wraps his arms around Iwaizumi’s waist, snuggling in close, breathing in deep that scent of Iwaizumi’s.

Iwaizumi doesn’t say anything else; they just drive.

Tooru relaxes, turning and watching the houses go by as they drive, blurs of colour that he doesn’t focus on. Some streets are familiar, others aren’t; he tightens his grip on Iwaizumi, shifting to see the other side of the street, the sights, scents and fresh air doing wonders for calming him. 

Tooru has no idea how long they drive for, but he’s almost surprised when Iwaizumi stops the bike, shifting a little to let him know they’re here. Tooru could have almost fallen  _ asleep _ , he was so relaxed.

He sits up, blinking as he realizes where they are.

_ Iwaizumi’s house. _

“Iwa-chan?” Tooru says, curiously, rubbing an eye with the back of his hand. “What are we…?”

“Are you hungry?” Iwaizumi asks, offering him a hand to help him off his bike. Tooru accepts, and Iwaizumi’s hands are calloused. They show him how hard he works. “Did you want to stay for dinner? I’m sure my Dad will be fine with it…”

He  _ should _ probably go home, but - 

He doesn’t want to.

“Yeah,” Tooru replies, nodding, “That’d be great. Just let me call home?”

“‘Course.” Iwaizumi heads inside to talk with his father while Tooru calls home. His mom is fine with it, thankfully - she’s always happy when Tooru takes a break from work to spend some time with friends, although he just tells her it’s a  _ friend from school _ , no specifics - so he ends up at the dinner table with Iwaizumi and his dad not too much later, nervous energy flowing through him, but not in a bad way.

It’s a lot like how it was when they were kids. Tooru always felt welcome here, and that feeling hasn’t gone away.

“So nice to have you back here, Oikawa-kun,” Iwaizumi’s dad tells him between bites of food, “You were always like a second son to us.”

“I’m happy to be here, you still make the most amazing meals, just like when we were kids!” Tooru grins happily, finishing off his meal, insisting that he be allowed to help clean up after, too.

Tooru was invited for dinner, but, well. He stays later.

Iwaizumi takes him up to his room after, where they can drop their backpacks and flop on his floor, full and tired, still lots to catch up on. Tooru lets him talk, but also makes him take out some of his homework to do it - despite Iwaizumi’s protests, he lets Tooru help him, and Tooru finds it so much easier to motivate himself to do work when he gets to help Iwaizumi do his. He only lets Iwaizumi take him home when the sun has gone down and it’s late, just so that he can curl up in bed and send Iwaizumi one last message before he goes to sleep.

**_To:_ ** _ Iwa-chan _

_ Good night, Iwa-chan! :D _

* * *

From that point on, their friendship continues to grow.

It should be strange, how easily they fall back into something that was broken for so many years, but it isn’t. The texting comes easily - so do the regular hangout sessions where they do anything from homework to rides on Iwaizumi’s bike to just sitting in the Mustang, eating and talking and enjoying their time together.

Tooru even brings him back to his place, one day, despite Iwaizumi’s initial hesitance, insisting  _ It’s fine, Iwa-chan, my Mom is not gonna freak out just because you have a few piercings- _

Okay, so she’s a  _ little _ shocked at first, but it’s fine. Iwaizumi is still the polite, kind kid that he was years ago, and she sees that. He stays for dinner, and they go out for a walk before he drives home. He comes back after that more easily, the atmosphere around them relaxed.

They even eat lunch together at school, sometimes. Tooru’s still a little worried about it - they run in completely different circles, after all - but all it takes is Iwaizumi shutting down one negative comment for them to not be bothered by it again.

Tooru’s friends enjoy asking Iwaizumi questions, and listening to stories about their embarrassing childhood, which all the can do is groan in frustration about. Tooru meets more of Iwaizumi’s friends - there’s that Hanamaki, who Tooru dubs  _ Makki _ , when they’re more comfortable, and Matsukawa, who becomes  _ Mattsun. _ There’s also Bokuto, who gets along  _ way _ too well with Tetsurou. Tooru’s a little afraid of where that friendship may lead. 

* * *

Tooru suggests they spend a day one weekend out in the forest, going for a walk in the woods they used to play in as kids. It’s a long drive out - over an hour, but they spend it listening to Iwaizumi’s music, enjoying the fresh air, not worrying about making conversation. 

They can go further than they had as kids - they drive until the city is far behind them, until it’s just the trees, crickets and the fresh air. 

Iwaizumi parks the car on a hill where they have the perfect view of the skyline; the city off in the distance, trees and sloping hills, grass and flowers. It’s beautiful, and so, so calm.

They walk for a bit, sure, creating a trail of their own when there is none - laughing and joking and tromping along, but end up just sitting outside the car for a while. Iwaizumi lights up a smoke; Tooru leans back on his palms, closing his eyes and sighing, contentedly.

Iwaizumi puts out his smoke, rubbing his palms together. He looks over at Tooru, who shivers, the night air getting colder. Rather than say anything, he lifts himself up, standing and offering Tooru a hand to help him up, too.

Of course Tooru takes it. 

Inside the car is a little warmer, and Iwaizumi turns on the heat, laughing when Tooru holds his open palms in front of the vents.

“Here,” Iwaizumi says, shrugging off his coat, “Take this, if you’re cold.”

“What?” Tooru pauses, “N-No, it’s fine, I’m okay-”

Iwaizumi gives him an incredulous look, so Tooru takes it. He slips on the jacket; the inside is surprisingly soft, and it fits him well, showing how well-worn it is. 

Iwaizumi reaches over to turn up the music, and Tooru doesn’t give back the jacket until he’s getting out of the car to go home for the night.

* * *

Their next walk out in the woods ends a little early when it starts pouring rain.

It’s a surprise - neither one of them is prepared for it, and they end up making a dash back for Iwaizumi’s car. Tooru throws open the car door, slipping himself inside, grateful that Iwaizumi hasn’t locked the doors.

Tooru laughs, wrinkling his nose as he shifts on the seat. He’s soaked, his clothes clinging to his skin uncomfortably, chilling him down to the bone. Iwaizumi slams the door closed behind him and Tooru runs a hand through his damp hair, brushing it off his forehead. 

Iwaizumi’s next to him, trying to shake off some of the water from that rain storm. He shifts, nice and close to Tooru, close enough that he can feel his body heat.

Tooru blushes red, fidgeting away a little with nerves. 

He likes being close to Iwaizumi like this. He likes feeling their thighs brush; goosebumps trail up his lower back, and he rubs an arm awkwardly, not sure what he can do… what he should do. He’s got no experience here, and he doesn’t know what their boundaries are.

Iwaizumi must notice because he pulls back a little, watching Tooru with interest.

God, he’s so embarrassed.

Tooru shifts, pulling up the drenched sleeves of his shirt. It’s hard to get them up, and he lets out a little annoyed groan at the effort.

Iwaizumi chuckles. “Wanna change? I have some extra clothes back here that we can change into.”

There’s a pause, and Tooru feels his face heat up. “Y-You do?”

Iwaizumi hums, nodding his head. Tooru can barely look at him. “Yeah.” He reaches under the seat, rummaging around until he comes out with a black bag. “Just some sweats, but they’re dry.” 

Tooru swallows, and feels his nerves spike again. “Yeah. Um, yeah, that’s a good idea.” Iwaizumi hands him the clothes, shifting a little so that he’s far enough away that they have enough room to change. Tooru turns away from him, too shy to even think about looking at Iwaizumi right now. 

He peels off his wet clothes, tossing them down on the floor of Iwaizumi’s car. He gets rid of it all except his briefs, which are only a little damp so he figures it’ll be okay. Tooru picks up the shirt Iwaizumi’s given him, fingers brushing over the fabric before he slowly pulls it over his head. 

Tooru inhales deeply, blush deepening because this scent, the smell of  _ Iwaizumi- _

It’s so nice?

It smells like laundry detergent, body spray, the metallic smell of the auto shop and just… boy.

Tooru takes another deep breath, sliding on the sweatpants and blushing again. He wants to wrap himself up in this scent, carry it around with him because it’s just so damn comforting.

He finally gets the courage to look over at Iwaizumi, who’s dressed similarly, only his clothes are all black. Iwaizumi is watching him with a soft smile, looking over at Tooru.

He chuckles softly under his breath. “You look good,” he blurts out, flushing.

Tooru fiddles with the hem of his shirt, looking down at the floor. “T-thanks… You too.”

Oh my god, he’s so nervous.

The dry clothes feel good, but the chill from earlier is still seeped too deep into him. He shivers, drawing the sleeves down a little further on his arms in an attempt to warm up. 

“You’re cold?” Iwaizumi says, although he phrases it more like a question, so Tooru nods in response. He chances a look out the window - it’s still pouring, so he’s not getting home for a hot shower anytime soon. 

Iwaizumi interrupts his train of thought. “Come here.” He opens his arms, reaching out to rest a hand on Tooru’s shoulder, sending shivers up his spine again. 

Tooru wants to, he wants to, but he’s  _ so nervous- _

Iwaizumi tightens his grip a little and tugs, softly, in encouragement to come closer, so Tooru does. He nods, sliding himself back, snuggling up to Iwaizumi’s side.

The real thing smells even better, only now there’s the faint smell of a thunderstorm clinging to him. It's intoxicating.

Tooru’s stiff, at first. He likes being close to Iwaizumi, but he’s scared. He’s nervous, and it takes Iwaizumi rubbing his hand up and down his arm to get him to finally relax. 

When he does, though, it’s worth the wait. 

He lets his grip on Iwaizumi’s sweatshirt loosen. His eyes flutter closed and he sighs softly. He’s so warm, here. The sound of the rain is soothing, and he lets himself be lulled by it, cuddling up against Iwaizumi’s neck.

School’s been hard, so many stresses weighing down on him. Being here, with Iwaizumi, where he has no expectations placed upon him, nothing he has to do - it’s nice.  _ Really _ nice. 

He can just… be.

Tooru shifts, sighing contentedly, body warming up against Iwaizumi’s. He doesn’t need to be so guarded. 

Iwaizumi is  _ so  _ warm.

His body moves a little on it’s own, but that’s okay. He presses his lips to Iwaizumi’s neck, feeling the arms around him tighten as he does it. Iwaizumi nuzzles him, kissing the top of his head, sending shivers down Tooru’s spine.

Tooru smiles softly, turning his face so that he can speak. “You’re just as warm as I remember, Iwa-chan,” he murmurs.

Iwaizumi laughs. “You’re just as cute as I remember, Oikawa.” Tooru feels his face heat up a little, but his nervousness is fading away.

Being with Iwaizumi here like this - it’s okay. Iwaizumi’s stripping away all of his usual layers, his defences - but he’s okay with it. It feels good. Right.

Tooru shifts, looking up, meeting Iwaizumi’s gaze, and, well, it just happens.

He leans up a little and Iwaizumi is there to meet him in the middle, with the softest kiss he’s ever received. 

It takes a minute for Tooru to respond, to react, to kiss him back, but Iwaizumi is patient. He moves his lips slowly and with purpose, guiding Tooru. Iwaizumi’s arms slide up his back, pressing against his shoulder blades, encouraging him to sit as closely as possible.

Iwaizumi tastes even better than he smells - sweet, with just enough ruggedness that makes Tooru feel safe. He keeps it soft, not deepening the kiss, just letting Tooru get used to the feeling before doing anything else.

Tooru shifts, and Iwaizumi pulls him the rest of the way so that they're chest-to-chest, right up in each other's space. The position is embarrassing - Iwaizumi can feel every part of him - but he swallows back his embarrassment, letting it fade away in favour of trust.

Because that's it, there. He trusts Iwaizumi. He won't lead him astray.

Iwaizumi moves his hands up to cup Tooru's cheeks, pressing a little harder into the kiss, making Tooru gasp. Iwaizumi pulls away a little, chuckling, before diving right back in and moving their lips back together.

Tooru loses track of time. It's cliché as all hell, but he really couldn't care less. Iwaizumi deepens the kiss, pulling Tooru flush against him, snaking an arm around his waist. Tooru tries to breathe into it, stay calm, and kiss him back, but his nervousness must show as Iwaizumi tips his head back and retreats from the kiss.

He's sure he must look dazed - he's never been kissed like that in his life, and he runs his tongue over his bottom lip, feeling how swollen it is. He laughs, nervously, looking away, embarrassment creeping back up again.

"Hey," Iwaizumi says, catching his chin between his fingers, "You don't need to look away. We won't do anything you're not ready for, okay?"

Iwaizumi looks so sincere, so honest, so open - Tooru's taken aback, only able to nod, a little.

"Okay... can we, just... sit here... for a bit longer?" He asks, words coming out slowly as he maintains eye contact, shyly.

Iwaizumi's smile grows and he nods, shifting to reach into the front of the car and put the key in the ignition. It starts with ease, the radio buzzing to life, a soft beat playing that Tooru doesn't recognize. He moves back to the backseat, settling himself in, pulling Tooru back and in close to him, fitting him in nice against his chest. Tooru cuddles right up to him, happy to sit in the back of Iwaizumi's car, absentmindedly listening to the music streaming from his car radio. Iwaizumi trails his fingers up and down Tooru's arms softly, sending pleasant little shivers up his spine with each pass.

It's exactly what Tooru needs. Not too fast, but they're still going - heading in a direction that Tooru's a little nervous for, but also ready. Excited. So, so happy.

Iwaizumi hums along with the music and Tooru closes his eyes, getting lost in the moment, in this, in Iwaizumi.

By the time the rain lets up Tooru's half asleep on Iwaizumi's chest, dozing softly. Iwaizumi chuckles and lets him lie in the back while he drives him home, waking him up just to walk him back to his front door.

The goodbye kiss that Iwaizumi gets as he leaves is reward enough for it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for proofreading this for me, Heather & French!
> 
> Leave a comment below, let me know what you thought? ~~Why else am I doing this?~~
> 
> Come talk to me on [tumblr](http://josai.tumblr.com/)!


	3. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tooru can’t help but wonder how much of the old Hajime is still lurking in there somewhere.
> 
> He definitely got a glimpse of the softer Hajime tonight.
> 
> It still doesn’t really feel real, so just to make sure that it actually happened, Tooru looks over at his chair where he laid out the clothes that Hajime lent him-
> 
> Yeah. The sweatshirt and sweatpants are still there, and Tooru’s face heats up more.
> 
> Since sleep doesn’t seem to be coming to him anytime soon, Tooru feels around on his nightstand for his phone. A smile lights up his face when he sees that there’s a message there waiting for him.

Tooru’s exhausted right up until the point when he finally climbs into bed.

Teeth brushed, pajamas on, completely ready to pass out - only now he’s wide awake, staring at the ceiling. It’s a certain kind of cruelty, really - he would have loved to have spent more time with Hajime, but he came home because he was so tired.

_ Hajime. _

Just the thought of him has Tooru blushing and he covers his face with his hands, shy and giddy. He laughs, rolling over in bed and closing his eyes, letting his mind wander.

Hajime sure is different than he was five years ago. 

He’s grown up a  _ lot _ .

He’s taller now, and stronger from all the work he’s done in the auto shop. He’s no longer that little scrawny kid that Tooru used to run around with at the park and throw volleyballs with until their arms grew tired.

His entire image is new and fresh. Tough, where he used to be soft. Tooru can’t help but wonder how much of the old Hajime is still lurking in there somewhere. 

He definitely got a glimpse of the softer Hajime tonight.

It still doesn’t really feel  _ real _ , so just to make sure that it actually happened, Tooru looks over at his chair where he laid out the clothes that Hajime lent him-

Yeah. The sweatshirt and sweatpants are still there, and Tooru’s face heats up more.

Since sleep doesn’t seem to be coming to him anytime soon, Tooru feels around on his nightstand for his phone. A smile lights up his face when he sees that there’s a message there waiting for him.

 

**_From:_ ** _ Hajime _

_ Put your phone away and go to sleep. _

 

Tooru can’t help but laugh, burrowing under his blankets. He doesn’t need to think about his reply; the words come naturally.

 

**_To:_ ** _ Hajime _

_ So nice that Hajime is so worried about me  _

_ You should sleep too!  _

 

Tooru waits, almost ready to put away his phone until he sees the notification that Hajime is typing. 

So he rolls over on his side, hugs his pillow and waits.

 

**_Hajime:_ ** _ yeah, well i know you  _

**_Hajime:_ ** _ and you don’t always take care of yourself _

**_Tooru:_ ** _ are you saying you want to take care of me, Hajime? _

**_Hajime:_ ** _ well i’m not your mom _

**_Hajime:_ ** _ but yeah _

**_Hajime:_ ** _ i like looking out for you _

 

Tooru freezes, completely taken off guard. He’d expected some banter or silliness, yet this all feels... real.

Raw.

It makes his heart ache.

 

**_Tooru:_ ** _ thank you _

**_Tooru:_ ** _ ill go to sleep soon, ok? _

**_Tooru:_ ** _ and i’m ok  _

**_Hajime:_ ** _ will you tell me when you’re not? _

 

_ Will he?  _ Tooru bites his lip. He doesn’t want to lie, but saying this sure doesn’t come easily. It’s not his nature to be so forthcoming, and especially since he’s still scared that this is all just a dream.

He still wonders when he’ll wake up and find out that he and Hajime really aren’t friends again.

 

**_Tooru:_ ** _ i’ll try _

**_Hajime:_ ** _ thanks. all i want is for you to try. _

**_Tooru:_ ** _ i’m really glad for this, iwa _

**_Hajime:_ ** _ for this? _

**_Tooru:_ ** _ yeah. that we’re talking again _

**_Tooru:_ ** _ i missed you _

 

As soon as he types it, Tooru’s entire body heats up with embarrassment and regret. He wishes desperately he could somehow climb into the past and erase it, change it to something not so dumb sounding-

 

**_Hajime:_ ** _ me too. _

 

...Oh. 

 

**_Tooru:_ ** _ can we go out somewhere together this friday? _

**_Tooru:_ ** _ there’s somewhere i really wanna bring you  _

**_Hajime:_ ** _ sure _

**_Hajime:_ ** _ where do you wanna go? _

**_Tooru:_ ** _ it’s a surprise _

**_Tooru:_ ** _ but i’m sure you’ll like it _

**_Tooru:_ ** _ is that ok? _

**_Hajime:_ ** _ sure, Tooru. i trust you. _

 

Tooru’s heart swells at the open-hearted text. He smiles and cuddles up further under his blanket, far too excited to fall asleep anytime soon now. 

* * *

Tooru has a love-hate relationship with school.

On one hand, he really loves to learn. He finds it challenging to face a new problem every day, and he thrives off the sense of accomplishment he feels when his hard work pays off. 

But on the other hand, it really leaves very little time for him to spend cultivating a social life, and now that he wants to spend time with Hajime it seems like their schedules are doing everything possible to clash.

On a night when Tooru is free, Hajime has to help his dad in his shop. When Hajime’s free the next night, Tooru is drowning in homework - luckily, Hajime doesn’t seem to mind when the only time they get to spend together during the week is an hour in which he shows up at Tooru’s front door with a hot latte and a bag of sweets for Tooru.

“I really can’t take much of a break, I have got to finish this essay,” Tooru says as soon as he opens the door.

Hajime smiles, and leans in to kiss Tooru on the cheek before stepping inside the house and kicking off his shoes. “Hey to you too.”

“Sorry,” Tooru mumbles, blushing, “Hi. It’s really nice to see you.”

“You too,” Hajime answers as he pushes his shoes in the closet with his foot. He reaches for Tooru’s hand and laces their fingers together. “Can you spare fifteen minutes?”

Tooru bites his lip and looks down at their joined hands. 

Hajime runs his calloused thumb over the back of Tooru’s hand reassuringly.

“Yeah,” Tooru nods, “I can.” He tugs on Hajime’s hand and leads him up the stairs to his bedroom, where he has notes and books scattered across his desk. He tries to pull away to go and tidy it up, but Hajime holds his hand and pulls him towards his bed instead.

“I got it,” he says, sitting Tooru down and handing him his latte. “You should drink this before it gets cold.”

“Not fair,” Tooru says while he watches Hajime push all of his notes into a neat pile. 

“What’s not fair?” Hajime asks, dropping down onto the bed next to Tooru.

“You. You’re too nice,” he says with a pout. He’s sure he doesn’t deserve all of this kindness.

Hajime laughs. “I’m coming here and getting to see you, so this is a win for me too. It’s selfishness disguised as kindness,” he explains, opening up the bag of sweets and taking one out for himself. 

Tooru sips the latte, which is nice and hot with just the right amount of sweetness. He sighs in defeat - which earns him a laugh from Hajime, but all is forgiven when Hajime pulls him close enough so that he can tuck Tooru up against his side and slide an arm around his waist.

“Talk to me,” Tooru asks, closing his eyes and leaning his head against Hajime’s chest.

Hajime smiles, takes a sip from Tooru’s drink and proceeds to tell him all about his day.

Fifteen minutes quickly turns into an hour when Tooru falls asleep listening to Hajime talk, but he can’t bring himself to be bothered when he wakes up feeling much more refreshed and motivated than he was before.

* * *

Tooru looks at his phone for what has to be the seventeenth time since he’s gotten home from school, reading over the message Hajime sent him after they’d parted ways at school.

 

**_From:_ ** _ Hajime _

_ Sounds good. see you at six.  _

 

Tooru’s stomach flips anxiously.

Yeah, they’ve been hanging out, and they’ve done some things that you could probably call a date, sure. But it’s all been easy stuff. Going for drives, grabbing some take-out, going for walks out in the forest-

Now, though… this is different.

This isn’t something he could play off as being a something just between friends.

This is a date. 

A date with  _ Hajime. _

He’s a little bit embarrassed to admit that he hasn’t really properly gone on  _ any _ dates, let alone one with someone whose opinion he cares about as much as he does Hajime’s.

And he’s not just following Hajime’s lead, either. Tooru picked where they’re going, and he can’t help but be a little nervous about it. 

What if Hajime thinks it’s completely lame?

He sighs, checking the time. 5:15. It’s high time he pulls himself out of bed and starts getting ready.

Tooru lets his thoughts wander as he roots around in his closet to for something to wear.

So far, he’s really liked what he’s learned about Hajime. He’s tough, and cool (and incredibly hot, obviously) but he’s also sweet. Caring. Considerate. 

He checks in with Tooru throughout the day to see how things are going. He’ll sit with Tooru while he studies, and enjoys showing Tooru what he’s working on with his car. He shares his thoughts with him, talks to him.

It’s really nice.

Tooru really, really doesn’t want to mess it up.

He picks out an outfit that he likes that he knows will help him feel a little bit more comfortable and relaxed. His favourite pair of dark-washed jeans with the cuffs rolled up. An old sweater that his brother had given him on his last birthday, a colourful striped sweater that’s just a little too long so the sleeves cover the palms of his hands.

He spends enough time playing with his hair that the time melts away and when he looks up, it’s two minutes to six. He _ really _ doesn’t need his mom grilling Hajime for fifteen minutes again, so he snags his shoes and the rest of his things and darts out to go sit on the front steps and put them on.

He doesn’t even need to look up to see when Hajime shows up; the loud rumble of his bike has Tooru’s heart fluttering and his pulse racing.

He swallows down his nerves, hurriedly tying the laces of his sneakers. His heart rate speeds up as the sound of Hajime’s bike gets closer, and then stops. 

He only hopes that his heart isn’t beating so loud that Hajime will hear it. 

After taking a few moments to try and calm himself down, Tooru looks up to see Hajime stepping off his bike and sliding off his helmet. 

Tooru pushes himself off the steps when Hajime waves, willing himself forward. He can’t help but smile the closer he gets to Hajime, who looks on with such fondness that’s really not helping his racing heart.

“You look cute,” Hajime says. He smiles and reaches over to lay his hand on Tooru’s shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze.

He’s  _ really _ unfair. 

Tooru manages to stumble out a thank you, looks over and smiles at him.

“Where are we going?” He asks, reaching back on his bike for his spare helmet to pass to Tooru. Tooru accepts it with ease as he’s starting to get used to this part of their routine.

“I told you it’s a surprise, didn't I?” Tooru grins with excitement. “Just start heading south, towards our old elementary school. I’ll direct you from there.”

Hajime lifts a brow at him curiously, but nods. “Alright. I’ll bite. Let’s go.” He lifts his helmet and slides it on, securing it on and then reaches over to help Tooru with his.

Tooru’s nerves calm just the slightest once he’s seated on the bike behind Hajime with his arms wrapped around him.

For safety. Yeah, sure, whatever.

It helps calm him down, though. Maybe it helps that Hajime can’t see him, but Tooru sure can feel Hajime’s steady heartbeat with hands wrapped around him. Tooru focuses on this, looking up and directing Hajime until they arrive at their destination.

Hajime parks his bike in one of the empty spots, coming to a stop and secures it on the kickstand.

“Tooru,” Hajime says after he’s pulled off his helmet and tucked it under his arm, “what are we doing here?” He looks up at the sign, which reads  _ Cat Shelter _ with a stylistic cat printed next to it.

Laughing, Tooru loops his arm with Hajime’s and pulls. “Come on. Let me show you.” 

Hajime seems a little incredulous, but Tooru’s energy is high as soon as they step through the glass doors. 

All of his nervousness fades away here, like always.

Tooru leads Hajime right up to the front desk where an older woman is typing up files on the computer. She looks up to see them, and brightens right away when she sees Tooru. “Tooru, hello! Welcome back. Did you bring a friend this time?” She asks, to which Tooru nods.

“Yes, this is Hajime. Is it alright if he joins me today?” He asks, their arms still looped together.

“Of course!” She nods. “Go right in, you know the drill.”

Hajime stays quiet until they’re alone again, through a set of double doors. They head down a hallway and Tooru clearly knows exactly where he’s going.

“Tooru,” he repeats, nudging Tooru with his elbow, “what are we doing here?”

Rather than answer, Tooru turns and pushes open one of the doors. He steps in, pulling Hajime alongside him. The room is quiet, and fairly bare; there’s not much in here other than a few couches and some cages, all which seem to be empty except for one, which is open on the top. Tooru walks right over to the cage, nodding down at it.

“They’re why we’re here,” Tooru says with a smile.

Inside the cage there are the teeniest tiniest little kittens that Hajime has ever seen.

Two little orange fuzzballs curled up together in a cat bed, half laying on top of each other. One is more orange, the other slightly more brown, and both have short stripes covering their bodies. They look up at Tooru and Hajime with big eyes, meowing sleepily. Tooru crouches down, reaching in and scratching the more orange cat under its chin which earns him a loud roaring purr.

“I’ve been coming here for about a year,” Tooru explains, scratching the kitten’s head when it flops under his hand. “I always wanted to get pets, but I never could cause my mom’s allergic, remember? Well, the school counselor suggested I try something like this last year when my panic attacks were getting more frequent, and… it really helped.” He smiles softly, unaware of how carefully Hajime is watching him. “I started coming every week. It’s good for me, and it’s also great for the cats. I thought maybe you might like to get to spend some time with them, too. What do you think about that?” He asks and stands back up. He turns to Hajime whose hands are shaking just the slightest.

“Relax, Hajime, there’s no need to be nervous,” Tooru says, his smile soft. He takes Hajime’s hand and laces their fingers together tightly.

“They’re just… they’re just  _ so tiny _ , Tooru,” Hajime says, his anxiety obvious. He squeezes Tooru’s hand for reassurance.

“Yeah, they are. They’ve grown up a lot, though, from when they came here just as newborns.” Tooru leads Hajime over to one of the couches and gestures for him to sit down. “And cuddling is important for the kittens especially.”

He walks over to one of the kennels, where the kittens are eager to see him. The little orange kittens meow excitedly to see him again, wiggling around and pawing at his hand for attention. They were brought here just the size of his palm, so sometimes he forgets they’re still so tiny, even though they’ve grown so much since he first met them.

“Hey there,” he says, reaching in and picking up the first kitten. “Good to see you, Pumpkin.”

Hajime watches as Tooru handles the kitten with absolute care, who completely flops in his arms and cuddles right up to him. He laughs, petting his soft fur, walking over to Hajime.

“You ready?” Tooru asks.

Hajime’s face turns in a mixture of nervousness and excitement, so Tooru figures he’s good. He passes him Pumpkin, who looks at the new face curiously. He scrunches up his nose, sniffing Hajime’s hands. Hajime looks a bit tense, but he relaxes once Pumpkin snuggles up on his chest and starts purring. He laughs almost incredulously, holding him with one hand and pets him with the other, his fingers just ghosting across his fur. His movements are so shy and careful and it makes Tooru’s heart swell.

The mewing coming from the kennel is still pretty incessant though so Tooru leaves Hajime to go and pick up the other kitten, Spice. “Sorry buddy, didn’t mean to keep you waiting,” he whispers, lifting Spice up and nuzzling his nose, laughing as his whiskers tickle his face. Spice starts purring as soon as Tooru has him in his arms, happy to fit himself right up against his shoulder. 

“You’ve gotten bigger since I last saw you!” Tooru muses, scratching between Spice’s shoulder blades like he likes. “I’m glad to see it.” Tooru looks up to see Hajime looking over at him with this soft, open expression that Tooru really doesn’t know how to place.

It makes him blush and he looks away. He clears his throat before he joins Hajime on the couch, carefully stroking Spice.

They don’t talk, but the cats purring is loud enough to fill the comfortable silence.

Pumpkin completely falls asleep in Hajime’s arms, so relaxed and at ease cuddled up to Hajime. Hajime keeps stroking him slowly, his expression so content. Spice starts dozing on Tooru’s shoulder, so Tooru leans over to place him down carefully on Hajime’s lap too as Hajime seems more relaxed in holding the kittens. Spice flops right on top of Pumpkin and it doesn’t take long before they’re both asleep pretty soundly.

Tooru hasn’t seen Hajime look this calm and content in a long time.

He looks so...vulnerable. 

He’s watching the cats, the smallest ghost of a smile on his lips. He talks to them, every now and then, just little comments, little ramblings. Tooru finds himself wanting to cuddle up to Hajime too, so he sits himself next to him and puts an arm around Hajime.

Hajime looks at him, but if he has any questions he doesn’t voice them. Instead, he just leans his forehead against Tooru’s, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. 

Tooru squeezes him a little tighter, trying to express everything that he doesn’t yet know how to say.   
They don’t stay much longer; with the kittens falling asleep, Tooru decides that they need their rest and picks them up, one by one, to bring them back to their bed. 

As they leave, Hajime takes Tooru’s hand, laces their fingers together and squeezes tightly. “Hey,” he says, stopping him in the middle of the lot, “thanks.”

Tooru smiles, open and honest, squeezing Hajime’s hand. “Come on, let’s go get some dinner.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big shoutout of thanks to my friends who have been endlessly supportive and helpful in writing this! Heather, you've always made sure I keep Biker AU alive and helped so much with this chapter. Amalas and Ri, thank you so much for the support and the beta reading here! It really means a lot to me to have your support. Thank you so much to everyone who reads and leaves a comment - that means the world to me!
> 
> [Come talk to me on tumblr!](josai.tumblr.com) (Doing a 2,000 followers celebration on tumblr tonight - drabbles, another update, and a fic giveaway!)


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